Romancing Strangers: The Intimate Politics of Beach Tourism in Kenya
Tami, Nicole
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/85286
Description
Title
Romancing Strangers: The Intimate Politics of Beach Tourism in Kenya
Author(s)
Tami, Nicole
Issue Date
2008
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Gottlieb, Alma
Department of Study
Anthropology
Discipline
Anthropology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Anthropology, Cultural
Language
eng
Abstract
The tension between institutionalized power---largely rooted in racial hierarchies, and individual power---which is directly contingent upon gender, nationality and socioeconomic status, reveals the contradictions and complex pressures behind interpersonal relationships between Western women and Kenyan men who work in coastal tourism destinations, such as Lamu and Malindi. As such, questions of power and social positionality are both fluid and conditional. I argue that the intimate collisions of these two social groups, not only reflect historical hierarchies between Africa and Europe, but are themselves directly influenced by contemporary geo-political policies and macroeconomic processes. Drawing upon the stories and ethnographic profiles of social actors who are continuously negotiating cultural diversity and a range of personal disparities, including those based on economics, age, race and gender, I explore what happens when Western female tourist enter into cross-cultural relationships with Kenyan beach workers.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
